“The lieutenant thinks the other Mrs. Lamonte might be involved. We heard about the scene between them over at her house yesterday.” Al glanced back at Cindy Walker. “And you know we had that call from the elder Mrs. Lamonte about her daughter-in-law being involved in her husband’s death. It didn’t make any sense yesterday. Today, it might need some answers.”
“It still doesn’t make any sense today.” Peggy wished she could get inside and take a look around. What could possibly be in there that could make them suspect Beth?
“That was before this happened,” Jonas decided to tell her before Al said it all. “We found some suspicious circumstances in the house. Enough to investigate anyway. The crime scene people have been here all night.”
“What kind of circumstances?” Peggy looked at both of them.
“Never mind.” Jonas checked himself and glared at Al. “And if you know what’s good for you, Detective, you won’t say anything else about this either.”
Al scuffed his shoe on the wet sidewalk. “Sorry, Peggy. That’s about all I can tell you.”
She had to be satisfied with that verdict. A tumble down the stairs didn’t sound very suspicious to her, especially since Isabelle was crippled and losing her sight. What did they find that made them think it was anything but an accident? “Does that mean you’re going to question Beth about Park’s death again, too?”
“That’s none of your business.” Jonas took her arm and guided her out of Isabelle’s front yard. A large blob of snow fell out of a pear tree right on his head. He brushed it off as he said, “You’ll have to wait until our investigation is finished.”
“Jonas, you need a good cleansing! The toxins have backed up in your body at an alarming rate,” she alerted him. “If you don’t go home and drink some milk thistle and goldenseal, you’re going to catch a cold at the very least!”
He wrinkled his forehead, obviously trying to figure out what she was talking about and finally waved her away. “Go home, Peggy. Please! My toxins will just have to be happy with some coffee and donuts later.”
She shrugged. “It’s your life.” She looked back at the gloomy house that seemed to glower back at her. Only an old red camellia bush at one corner told a different story about happier times the house had seen. Had Isabelle planted it there when she was young and in love?
She hadn’t been inside the house for years, even though Beth and Park’s home was only a few blocks away. Since Park Senior died, Isabelle kept to herself. She let her world shrink around her until all that existed was her anger and fear. Is that what finally claimed her?
It made Peggy shiver to think she could have been the same as Isabelle after John’s death. She could’ve holed up in her house with her plants and her memories until they came and found her dead, too. She shook off the melancholy thought and pretended to examine an ice-glazed holly bush near the front door. The large bush would shrug off the ice as soon as the sun hit it. She knew that, but made a project out of trying to free some of its glossy green leaves from the cold.
Al and Jonas ignored her as they talked to officers who finished canvassing the neighborhood for anyone who might have seen a strange vehicle or person at the house before Isabelle died. Peggy listened to the reports intently without being noticed. No one saw or heard anything unusual. The neighbors were used to Isabelle’s house being quiet. They knew she lived alone and tried to keep an eye on her.
While they were engaged in asking questions and getting statements, Peggy made her way to the back of the house and slipped in through the porch. The door into the kitchen was open, so she let herself in the house. The fifties-style kitchen and dining room were spotless, almost appearing untouched.
The last time she was in Isabelle’s house it was the same way. Like a museum. That was on the occasion of Park Senior’s death. His death seemed to fit the house that was already like a tomb. She and John had left the crowd gathered there as quickly as possible after paying their respects.
Peggy looked for Mai Sato, Paul’s girlfriend, and a member of the crime scene team. She found her at the bottom of the long mahogany staircase. Her shoulder-length, straight black hair was covering the side of her face as she worked gathering samples from the red Turkish carpet.
Mai sat back on her heels and rubbed at a spot in her lower back. She looked up and saw Peggy’s inquisitive face. Startled, her large, black-rimmed glasses almost fell off her face. “Hi!” She glanced at the door. “How did you get in? I could’ve sworn Lieutenant Rimer would rather have an elephant step on him than get you involved in another case.”
“You’re probably right. He doesn’t know I’m in here.” Peggy nodded toward the kitchen at the end of the long, dark hallway. “I came in through the back door. He was too busy to notice. What have you found so far?”
The silky black hair swung back and forth as Mai shook her head. Her pretty mouth pursed, and her brown eyes narrowed. “I can’t tell you. You know that.”
“You can at least tell me why everyone doesn’t think this was an accident,” Peggy prompted. “Maybe she had a heart attack. Maybe she slipped on the stairs.”
“And maybe somebody pushed her.” Mai smiled at her. “All right. I know how you are. I’ll tell you what I know, then you better get out of here before somebody else sees you. Rimer is likely to put us both in jail!”
“Okay,” Peggy whispered. “Tell me fast.”
Mai explained that Isabelle’s housekeeper, Alice Godwin, called to make sure the woman was all right. “That was just after six. She was worried about Mrs. Lamonte getting upset about the snow.”
“Really? I wouldn’t have thought Isabelle got upset about a little snow.”
“Well, apparently she was okay at that point. Anyway, around ten o’clock last night, Mrs. Godwin came to check on her. When she got here, she found Mrs. Lamonte at the foot of the stairs. She wasn’t moving or breathing. Mrs. Godwin called 911.”
Peggy put her hand to her chest. “Poor Isabelle.” Does Beth know Alice was Isabelle’s housekeeper, too? That’s too much of a coincidence. No wonder Isabelle knew about the life insurance policy.
“The ambulance came, and the paramedics pronounced her at the scene, but they noticed a few suspicious things and called the police.”
“Like what?” Peggy tried to get to the heart of the matter.
“Ms. Godwin said Mrs. Lamonte never walked anywhere without her cane. We found it on that chair over there.”
Mai pointed to a heavy gold brocade chair that had been in the alcove beside the stairway for as long as Peggy could remember. She went to look at the carved stick without touching the plastic bag that covered it. “Alice is right. Since she hurt her hip in the seventies when she was thrown from her horse, Isabelle never walked without her cane. Why would she be upstairs without it? And where’s the dragon?”
“We think someone was in the house with her. Maybe she fell down, and the person took the cane and put it in the chair. It’s just a theory right now. What dragon?”
Peggy pointed to the top of the cane. “There’s a large ivory dragon’s head that belongs on the top of that stick.”
They searched the foyer and the stairs, but there was no sign of it. Mai shook her head. “I don’t know. But I saw some hair and blood on the side of the cane. Maybe the dragon’s head came off when someone hit her with it.”
“Whoever did this might have taken it with her.” Peggy couldn’t help but recall what John always said about the person who found the body.